Through the Eyes of a Child
by ChaosAngel4us
Summary: Angel was alone in a room, strapped to a metal examination table, with no one to talk to but herself. So what did she do? She thought. And when one thinks, epiphanies are formed. After the events of ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel. SPOILERS!
1. Throught the Eyes of a Child

**Eris: I just finished ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel last night, and let me tell you, heads are rolling as we speak. You want to know why?One word: DYLAN AND MAX TOGETHER. Oh, wait, that's four. Oh well. Apparently, Max is a wreck because Fang's gone, but then she gets mushy feelings for Dylan and Fang is all touchy-feely with Max II. Yeah, you heard me, MAX FLIPPING TWO! I am angry. VERY angry. And I have also plotted James Patterson's death at LEAST twenty times. **

**Iggy: No, Eris, it was more than that. I lost count at thirty four.**

**Eris: As you can see, a lot. Iggy was FANTASTIC in this book by the way. Chapter 44: BEST. CHAPTER. EVER. It had LOADS of Iggy goodness. And the shower scene? PRICELESS. If you love Iggy (like I do), then this book is for you. ****However, if you are one of the BILLIONS of fans wanting Max and Fang to get back together in this book (also me), then you will be VERY disappointed.**

**Iggy: If you are a Dylan and Max fan—**

**Eris: LIKE I AM _NOT!_**

**Iggy: —then you will LOVE this book. **

**Eris: ****I WILL say, that for the first time since book three, I have liked Angel. I had hated her for the longest time, but in the seventh book, Patterson brought back the original feel of the series. And the bad guys were actually, well, bad! The book was very good, heart-wrenching(when Max said "this is the end of Max and Fang", I cried. When she called Fang her ex, I hyperventilated) book, but it was well written. ANYWAY, sorry for the long Author's note, but I needed to vent. **

* * *

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Maximum Ride. If I did, then Max and Fang would have gotten together soon, I would own Iggy, Angel wouldn't have gone all psychotic, Fang would have never left, and Dylan would have never existed.**

* * *

**Through the Eyes of a Child**

I had a lot on my mind. Evil. Was I evil? I—I don't know… I've never _felt_ evil, but I guess something inside of me… could be… I know what's right or wrong; forcing that woman to buy me a bear with my mind was wrong. Not listening to Max when she was only looking out for me was wrong. Controlling the flocks mind (only _slightly_, but…) and having them help me kick Max out of the flock was wrong. Trying to take over as flock leader was wrong. Max, someone who is like a mother to me, who raised me, thinks I'm a backstabbing, manipulative child. It… hurts, to be honest.

It doesn't matter how many times Max tells me Fang almost dying wasn't my fault, I'll still blame myself. If I hadn't acted so selfishly and cruelly to the one person who loved me more than her own life, maybe Fang would still be with us instead of Dylan.

_Dylan…_

He was hard to figure out. His brain was always so jumbled up and confusing when I sifted through its contents. Max was always inside it, not in the most, well, _appropriate_ ways for a seven-year-old to see, but she was always there. In some strange way, he loved her. No, "obsessed" would be a better word, and I may be seven, but I'm pretty sure I know how bad being obsessed with someone can be.

_Fang…_

It's all my fault; I know it is, no matter what Max says. Now both of them are split up, Max is a mess (_was_ a mess, but…) and Fang has Max II as a replacement. What is he thinking? Didn't he—didn't the letter say— why isn't he— twenty years, right? Then why is he ogling another girl? (_Technically_, he's ogling Max, just a Max in another body with a different personality and tried to kill all of us before) I love Fang, a lot. He's like my daddy, and he's made for Max. Dylan is _not_ Max's perfect half; Fang is. I heard the voice in Max's head while sifting through her thoughts (I know she wouldn't be glad to know, but she was so peaceful and I was… nosey…) and heard the strange, mechanical, genderless voice tell Max that she and Fang were soul mates. Now, she's told us that the voice was telling her Dylan was her perfect half. Something wasn't adding up…

Dylan… I had dove into his mind like a swimmer entering a pool. Everything was confusing and hard to unravel, but the only clear thing was: MAX. It was the strangest thing. Every time his mind swerved to something else, it was like a shock went through his brain and set him back on track, on the whole "I am in love with Max" track. Could someone be implanting his feelings for Max? That would explain it, but…

I never got the chance to delve in deeper, because it was one disaster after another. And Dylan happened to be with us every time. When Max went after Dylan… I knew something had to be going on, but just what was it exactly? Was something influencing her too?

I tried to be strong, to be brave. When Fang called Max asking for help, I admit I was happy. Fang still cared, and maybe, _just_ maybe, he'd be able to break Dylan's spell on Max. They would see each other again, Fang would beg for forgiveness, Max would forgive him, they would kiss passionately, and we would all live happily ever after.

But… there was the whole Max II (Maya) thing. Fang had— he had replaced Max with, well, with Max. He had his own gang of mutants and was happy without us. When everyone else ran to hug Fang, I saw Max's pain. I felt it too. He had left us, my daddy and her soul mate. I stayed by Max's side and didn't look at him.

It may take a whole lifetime for me to atone for what wrong I did against the flock, but at least I was starting to do it now. Fang, on the other hand, was far behind and getting further.

Max and Fang screamed at each other outside the restaurant. They _screamed_. They _never_ screamed at each other. Sure, they fought, but it never got loud. I had never heard then fight like that in the seven years I knew them. I may have been an infant, but I remember. My brain is highly developed for a seven-year-old.

Fang really hurt Max this time and she was falling for Dylan. I could see it, but it didn't seem, _natural_, you know? Mind control? Possibly. But there was nothing I could do about it.

I had to be strong for the flock. I volunteered myself to go in as an inside force. I was strong. I could handle myself. I never really wanted Fang's approval; Max thinks I did. I would have been fine without it because they were right: Fang wasn't a part of this flock anymore. He could listen, but not act in. Not anymore.

I always cry at that.

Gazzy and I found the bombs. I knew that the only thing we could do was deactivate as many as we could. I had to stay and help. When Fang agreed to stay behind as well… maybe he was beginning his atonement too.

When things sounded rough, I told him to go help. He came back for us, too. He had Gazzy and was giving me a reassuring smile (well, as much of a smile he could muster) when the explosion went off and… I don't remember what happened next.

I only know now that I'm strapped to a medical table with tubes down my throat and IVs in my wrists. And Max and the flock probably believe I'm dead. Not much I can do there, but…

I miss them. I want to go home. I want Max. I want Fang. I want Max and Fang to get married and adopt me and the rest of the flock so we can live happily ever after together.

I want Iggy to be my awesome older brother who builds bombs and cooks the best meals every day.

I want Nudge to be my diva sister who takes me shopping all the time.

I want Gazzy to be a best friend and brother who'll always look out for me no matter what.

I want Total to be my friend forever and curl up with me on the couch to keep me warm as we watch a movie.

I want Max to tuck me in for bed each night, kiss the top of my head, and sing me a lullaby like she used to.

I want Fang to protect me from the monsters in my closet and from the thunderstorms that rage outside my window at night.

But I know that won't ever happen. Max and Fang are no more. They will never be together like they used to again. Max and Dylan will save the world and rule it as the King and Queen. They'll have a bunch of kids and the flock will probably be forgotten.

As for me? I don't even know if I'm going to live through the day. I've been kidnapped and I'm slowly being altered in ways I don't want to be. I'll never see the flock again and I'll never see Total again. I'll die here alone while the rest of my family believes I perished in the explosion.

Will they miss me?

…

When one is attached to a metal examination bed, one has much to think about. Me? I had all the time in the world.


	2. Not Human

**Eris: Those of you expecting another chapter, this is... sort of one. Ina actuality it is a snipit from my story IGGY: A Maximum Ride Novel book 8 also posted under this catagory. This story has action, angst, suspense, adventure, and a good bit of romance.**** Including Fax and I/E and Ratchet/Star and a good bit of OC/OC!**

**Iggy: She's really excited about this story, so I suggest you read it or else she'll explode. **

**Eris: There will be OCs, but they're necessary! Fang's group will appear and The Flock and a new group called THE COLONY (a bunch od bat/human hybrids)! It'll be exciting! But, anyway, I will let you read this and there will be the summary of the actual story below.**

* * *

"_Do you think it's time?"_

"_We've run a lot of tests; I think it's stable enough to try movement."_

"_How did it manage to survive the explosion?" _

Voices. Noise.

Where am I?

"_It's a shame that it got so ruined. It would be so much easier on the eyes had it not burned from the explosion…"_

"_Yes, a… necessary evil, but now it's more advanced. It's more special than the others and that is why it survived."_

I am not an "it"…

"_Dr. Camerose just got a message from her son: the remaining experiments from the _Chiroptera Project_ survived and they will all be eliminated save experiment VP01. He also says that he will bring the flock in as well."_

The flock… my family… they're in danger! I must… help them…

"_Take this experiment to a crate." _

"_Yes, sir."_

I could feel myself being lifted from the examination table and after being suspended in air, thrown into a wooden crate quite harshly. I couldn't help the moan that escaped my lips.

"_Careful! It's a valuable piece of machinery! DON'T mess it up or Dr. Camerose will. Have. Your. Head."_

"_Y-yes, sir."_

I gradually heard the voices leave and I was soon left in silence. My eyes, still closed, opened, but I couldn't see a thing. Everything was dark and fuzzy, and my head _hurt…_ I reached up to grip my head and when I opened my eyes, my vision slowly began to return to me.

I was in a small crate in a large white room. More crates surrounded me, but they were all mostly empty. I pulled my hands away from my head and a flash of silver caught my attention. Tentatively I looked over at my left arm and screamed.

It was made entirely out of metal.

My right arm was normal and I frantically searched my body finding one eye, half my skull, and parts of my legs and stomach were also made out of metal. Terror seeped into my consciousness when I realized I was no longer human; I spread my wings, finding them not there. Instead, my back had two metallic wings with metal feathers grafted on a metal back.

I screamed again, covering my face with my hands as I broke down. Tears fell from my human eye while the machine one remained unresponsive.

I wasn't human.

I was even _more_ of a freak than before.

I was a… what do you call it? A cyborg.

"_Hey, are you okay?" _a voice asked from beside me. I turned to look at them, seeing a teenager with black hair and green eyes staring at me in concern. Slowly I nodded, noticing another boy in the crate on the other side of the one who spoke.

"_What, what's your name?"_ he asked. I stared at him through my fingers, my mind going blank.

What _was_ my name? Who was I?

Flashed of color came into my vision; I saw a tall blond girl with brown eyes smiling at me and telling me I was her favorite. She felt like my mother, but she was too young to be so.

I saw a teenage guy with dark eyes and dark hair kissing the top of my head as he tucked me into bed.

I saw another teenage boy, but this one had strawberry blond hair and sightless blue eyes. He lit a match and made a bomb.

I saw an African American girl with messy brown hair grabbing my arm and laughing with me over something I couldn't hear. She hugged me and told me things, things I couldn't hear nor could remember, but she was _so_ familiar. I felt a strong kinship with her.

I saw a boy that looked like me. He held my hand as we walked down the streets of… somewhere…

I saw a little black dog, a Scottie, with equally small wings curl up on my lap and fall asleep.

I saw a bear with wings that I instantly picked up and held to my chest.

The blond, motherly girl came back into my vision. She smiled at me and lifted me into her arms, carrying me because I had skinned my knee when I had fallen down. I was crying and she hushed me gently.

"_It's okay, it's only a scratch." _She assured. I sniffed and looked at her.

"_But it hurts!"_ I wailed. She smiled before stooping down to kiss my sore knee and place a band-aid on it. I stopped crying and looked at her. She was still smiling at me and helped me stand.

"_Better?"_

I nodded my head. _"Better."_

She laughed, a sound that was like a familiar melody. _"I love you, Angel."_

"_I love you too, Max."_

I looked at him. "_Angel. My name is Angel."_

"_It's a pleasure to meet you, Angel."_ And then he smiled at me. _"I'm Finn and this is Otto."_

* * *

**Eris: so this is summary, as I said:**

**SUMMARY: _Everyone has their skeletons in the closet, even Dylan. What happens when his comes back to haunt him? And it seems that Iggy's new friend has a few secrets of her own. Is it up to Iggy to save the world this time?_**

_**Eris is desperate; her family's been kidnapped and the only hope she has lies in the arms of a blind pyromaniac and a robotic bat ironically name Sparrow. While she and the youngest member of her family work together with the flock, her "brother", Cale, runs into Fang's Gang and the rest of her family find Angel in ITEX, but she's a little worse for wear... Dylan's not all that he seems and Eris is determined to prove it. Is murdering him her only way of saving herself from the insanity that threatens to consume her? And, her long dead love comes back to life and is out for her blood. Why can't she just leave in peace for **once_**_? Is she doomed to die, or can Iggy show that he's the most fit for the "hero" position? Read to find out!_**

**Eris: I _really_ hope you decide to read it. It would mean the world to me! Besides, if you loved this semi-two-shot, you'll love _this_ story even more! I hope you check it out!**


End file.
